Shadow Moon
by LadyKayoss
Summary: An attack by a mysterious creature brings out Gray's bestial nature.
1. Full Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. All belong to the vanished Square Pictures.

Author's Note: Here it is, the inevitable werewolf fic from me. I've challenged myself to do werewolf fics for as many Final Fantasies as I can. Sorry for subjecting you to that... And this originally wasn't going to be divided into chapters, but I had a disk problem and am in the process of retyping this. I didn't have the time to type out the entire thing before Halloween.

By the way, if this story does well enough, it could begin a supernatural series, the "Falls the Shadow" series, which takes place post-film. What do you think?

**SHADOW MOON**

**A 'Falls the Shadow' fic**

Part One

Full Moon Rising

_...A fleeting shadow on a lonely night..._

Gray didn't know where the line came from; perhaps it was from a song, or a bit of poetry Aki had once read to him. Whatever it was, it seemed appropriate. He, and the other members of his Deep Eyes squad, seemed to be chasing a shadow, something that would appear as a brief flash on their censors before vanishing.

Around him, the skeletal buildings of old New York clawed at the star-studded sky, obscuring the full moon and casting deep shadows of solid blackness. If it weren't for the helmet scanners that bathed the world in amber, they wouldn't have been able to see anything.

"We lost it again, Captain," Neil said, his voice nearly a whisper. Gray didn't blame him; there was a strange feel to the atmosphere that seemed to deter even the Phantoms, who hadn't yet made an appearance despite the temptation of four spirits. Their absence made Gray uneasy, and he tightened his grip on his Nocturne.

"It's like we're hunting a ghost," Ryan murmured. _ So he feels it, too..._ "How can we be sure it's even a life form?" The satellite had picked up a spirit in New York that could only be classified as "non-Phantom." Gray and his team had been sent to extract the intruder from the restricted area.

"Neil, where was it before it vanished?" Gray asked.

Neil consulted his handheld computer. "Two blocks that way," he pointed.

"Any sign of Phantoms?"

"None." Neil sounded as baffled as Gray felt. The invaders should have been swarming them by now.

Gray mentally reviewed what he knew about the streets in the area. "So there are two ways it could have gone, right?" Neil nodded. "We split into two groups. Ryan, Jane, take the left approach. Neil, you're with me. Keep your communications line open and alert us at the first sign of phantoms."

"Right, sir," Jane said, slipping off after Ryan, both silent despite the heavy weight of their armor.

"This way, Neil," Gray said, heading towards a solid-seeming patch of shadow, quickly becoming swallowed by the blackness. Neil followed behind, head turning to and fro as he searched for Phantoms.

"Captain, do you think this could be a trap?" There was a nervous edge to the tech's voice, which disturbed Gray. Neil may not have looked the part of the ideal soldier, but his courage was unquestionable.

"I hope not," Gray said after a moment. He'd wondered that himself.

"Very reassuring," Neil muttered.

Gray didn't respond as he picked his way through the debris, steeling himself against the sight of the long dead city. If he allowed himself to see the dry bones amidst the rubble, the seeming hopelessness of the struggle to survive could be overwhelming. Gray knew of a corporal who had gone mad on his first city wasteland recon.

Bone snapped beneath Neil's boots. "Sorry," he murmured apologetically.

Gray just shook his head before continuing his search. Where was the elusive spirit? And where were the Phantoms? This wasn't like them at all...

There was a hollow clattering noise, and Gray turned back to his corporal. "Neil," he began sternly.

"It wasn't me - " Neil protested, then broke off as a dark shape detached itself from the shadows, its solid bulk slamming into Gray and knocking him backwards.

Gray's breath was driven from his lungs and he couldn't even cry out as a massive fang-filled maw filled his vision.

"Captain!" Neil cried, drawing his Nocturne into firing position and shooting into the dark shape's body. The bio-etheric burst seemed to have little effect on it.

"Sarge! Jane! We need back up!" Neil cried. Gray thrashed beneath his attacker, drawing in ragged gasps of breath as he struggled to pull his legs up to his chest. Perhaps he could kick this... thing away.

A sharp pain seared through Gray's arm, where the thing's teeth had found their way through the gap above his gauntlet. He cried out, trying to yank his arm from the creature's vise-like grasp.

He finally succeeded in drawing his legs up, and slammed his feet with all the force he could muster into the thing's abdomen. It released his arm, but seemed none the worse for wear.

_What the hell is this thing? _Gray could only vaguely make out glittering eyes set deeply in a shaggy head.

Suddenly, it's head jerked back, and Gray's ears were assaulted by a howl of agony. From its neck, Gray could see the hilt of a knife thrusting out. It screamed again, clawing at the knife - _Look at those claws! _- before tossing Neil a furious glare.

"Oh, shit," Neil hissed as the thing continued to stare at him a moment, the blood that spurted from its wound apparently forgotten.

"Captain!" came Ryan's shout.

"What the - " Jane began.

The beast broke eye contact with Neil, who shook his head as if to clear it. As he did, something finally registered. "Sir! Phantoms!"

The beast's ears pricked sharply towards the Phantoms, then it whirled and ran, leaving behind a trail of blood. A Phantom, visible only to the Deep Eyes helmet scanners, lay in the creature's path. Gray, struggling to his feet, saw the Phantom make contact - then recoil sharply, as if in pain. _The beast hurt it? _ Then there w_as_ something odd about its spirit...

"I've contacted the pickup crew," Ryan said. "They'll be here in five minutes. Are you all right, Captain? Can you fight?"

"Looks like I have no choice," Gray said as the other Phantoms ignored their wounded member and continued towards the soldiers. Gray moved his right arm, wincing at the pain, but realized nothing was broken. "Let's do this," Gray said, bringing up his weapon. The others followed suit.

There was no more thought of their mysterious attacker as they began a fight for their lives under the light of the full moon.

* * *

"Are you all right, Captain?" Ryan asked with concern. In the back of the Copperhead that had finally arrived for them, Gray had slipped off his glove and shoulder pad before letting Ryan cut away his sleeve from the bloody wound. Ryan's deft fingers probed the wound for any breaks but, while there was a lot of blood, it was only a flesh wound and much of the bleeding had already halted. "You're going to need stitches here," Ryan said, carefully releasing Gray's arm.

"What was that thing?" Neil wondered. "A Phantom?"

"It wasn't any Phantom I've ever seen. Besides, this thing was flesh, not energy." Jane's face was drawn into a scowl. "Just what we need, a new enemy."

"It hurt the Phantoms," Gray recalled as he cautiously daubed his wound with the moist towel Ryan handed him. He winced as he discovered just how many bruises he had.

"Whatever it was, it shouldn't bother us again," Neil said, a little smugly. "My knife got it in the throat."

"And it touched a Phantom. Maybe it hurt the Phantom, but it must be suffering from an infection as well." Ryan began shedding his armor, knowing they all faced an impending scanning. 

They spend the rest of the trip in silence, systematically removing their armor and piling it carefully. When they landed, they were ushered straight to the scanning facility, leaving their armor for later pickup. The military had learned the hard way that the time it took to store armor before scanning could mean death for a soldier with an infection.

To Gray's relief, Neil didn't begin his usual protests about the scanning procedure. Instead, he watched in grim silence as the captain was the first one scanned.

The process seemed to take longer than normal, Gray thought with growing concern. "Is something wrong?" he asked the technician, who was staring at his screen in puzzlement.

The man started. "Uh, no. Equipment was just acting up, I guess. I thought I saw something around your arm, but it's gone now."

"I don't find that reassuring," Gray said, as his team exchanged worried looks.

"Don't worry; you're clean," the technician said hastily, releasing the captain. "Go get your arm tended to."

Gray waited, despite the pain, for the rest of his team to be declared clean before heading to the infirmary. He cradled his wounded arm to his ribs, which must have been bruised in the attack as well, considering how much they ached. He was going to hurt in the morning...

"Maybe General Hein will let you go easy tomorrow," Neil said, without any real hope.

Gray snorted. "It's bad enough I have to tell him I was sent after a spirit that could have been a rat for all we know; if I tell him I was injured by a big... something, I'll probably end up getting a CAT scan." _What am I going to say? That Dr. Sid was so curious about this spirit that he got Council to send us out? That I was attacked by something that even the Phantom's feared?_ He was going to get in enough trouble as is; trying to get off duty - not that he wanted to - because of a relatively minor injury would further enrage the general.

"Actually," Jane said quietly, "it looked more like a dog. A big one."

"Maybe a rabid dog," Neil added helpfully.

"You always say all the right things," Jane growled.

Gray sighed, and left for the infirmary. There, they cleaned and stitched up his wounds, bandaged it, then told him to go and get some rest. The medic also advised he be on light duty tomorrow, but Gray didn't have much hope of that.

He was wearily making his way to his room when one of General Hein's men stopped him. Gray suppressed a groan and turned to the private. "The general would like to see you now, sir," the younger man said. Gray sighed and, with a wistful glance towards his room with its inviting bed, Gray turned and headed towards his superior's office.

_It would be just my luck if Hein was woken up because of this. _Hein would not be willing to listen to reason if he'd just been woken. After all, it was after 1:00 am. Gray braced himself and knocked on the general's door. "Come," was all the man said, and Gray entered the office.

The office was dark, with only the ever-present glow of the barrier filtering through the windows to light it. Hein was seated at his desk, the angular panes of his face barely visible in the shadows. "Sit," Hein said shortly.

"Who gave you the order to go out into the city?" Hein asked, getting straight to the point.

"The Council, sir," Gray said. "They had anomalous readings, and wanted someone to investigate. My squad happened to be free."

"Did you volunteer for this little waste of time?" Hein asked. His voice was cool, almost expressionless. But at least he didn't sound like a man awakened by unpleasant news.

"No, sir, but I couldn't refuse the Council -" Gray began.

"I am disappointed that you didn't inform me of this. I have the power to veto the Council's use of my men. Why didn't you come straight to me?" There was a hard edge to Hein's voice, and Gray knew he wasn't going to get out of this unscathed.

"It... seemed like a good idea. This spirit may have been useful to the scientists - " Gray regretted the words the moment they left his mouth.

"The scientists... So you were helping them?" Hein's voice had gone colder, if that were possible. His eyes, glittering in the darkness, narrowed.

Gray didn't have a response. How could he explain he had done it because Dr. Sid had asked; that he had helped Dr. Sid because he was the friend of a woman he didn't even see anymore?

Then Hein dismissed it. "No... They were just manipulating the Council again. What did they send you after, anyway?"

"A strange spirit... When we encountered it, it seemed to be a dog, sir."

"A dog?" He could barely make out Hein's lifted brow in the darkness. Didn't the man ever turn on the lights? He couldn't see the man's expressions very well, and couldn't guess what kind of trouble he was in. "You went out into the city for... a dog?"

"Presumably the offspring of one of the strays who survived in the city," Gray said quickly. "Dogs can sense Phantoms - "

Hein waved his hand irritably. "I really don't care where the damn thing came from," he said flatly. "I'm more concerned about the Council thinking they can give you orders... and that you would follow them, Captain." Now Gray could see Hein's withering glare, and he held his protests. "You would do well to remember that the Council may control the city, but _I _am the military's final authority. I'm disappointed you didn't report this mission right away to Major Elliot or myself. And all," Hein snorted, " for a dog."

"I apologize, sir," Gray said stiffly. "It won't happen again. I just didn't know how to turn down a direct order from the Council."

Hein's only answer was a grunt. He stayed silent for several moments, leaving Gray to fidget uncomfortably. He was tired and in pain, and Hein was deliberately making him suffer. Gray barely retained his composure.

"Dismissed," Hein said finally. Gratefully, Gray turned to leave. "What, no salute?" Hein said mockingly to the captain's back. Gray stiffened and turned - _You never asked for a salute before, you bastard! _- before realizing Hein was no longer interested in him.

Angrily, Gray went back to his room. As he examined his aching arm, thoughts of the belligerent general faded. What had attacked him, anyway? Had it been a dog? Or had it been something else entirely?

* * *

Gray flexed his arm with a wince, though he realized he had more mobility than he'd had the previous night. He was tired, though, and dreaded to think about what arduous tasks Hein had assigned him and his team.

He pulled on his uniform, grimacing in pain but refusing to let his wound hinder him. The bruises across his chest, at least had faded. The previous night, they'd been a dark shade of blue and green, and had covered him from shoulder to navel. At least he was healing quickly.

"We've pulled guard duty," Neil said without preamble when Gray joined the others a few minutes later.

"Captain Blake took great pleasure informing us of that," Ryan added glumly. The captain of the 307's had no love for Gray and his squad. Being able to tell them they'd drawn the dullest of all duties must have been like an early Christmas gift for him.

_Odd, though, _Gray thought. _When did Blake start being Hein's relay man? Usually Major Elliot is the one to parrot Hein's orders._

"Guarding what?" Gray had the sinking feeling this was going to be a long day.

"The labs," Jane said with a glower. "Apparently, since we have so much respect for the scientists, we get to spend the next two days patrolling their corridors. Without relief."

Gray groaned. Guard duty within the building was the easiest, dullest duty a soldier could have. Perhaps it was fine for a new recruit, but it was a waste of a trained combat team.

Damn. It definitely was going to be a long day.

* * *

_Just one more hour... _Gray slumped against the wall behind him, wiping away the sweat that beaded his brow. He couldn't wait for this to end. Normally, he would have taken Hein's punishment without complaint, knowing the general liked seeing him suffer and not wanting to give him the satisfaction. But today... Not only was his arm aching, but in the last hour he'd developed a pounding headache, and had begun to sweat profusely despite the fact that his skin was cold and clammy to the touch. _ That... thing could have been carrying a disease! _Gray didn't want to take any chances. He decided he was going back to the infirmary for another checkup after this.

There was the sound of rapid footsteps, and a harried-looking corporal came up to him. "Where's Corporal Fleming, sir?" he asked after saluting the captain.

Gray scanned the hall to his left, and pointed when he spotted Neil's slim form. The corporal thanked him and went after the tech.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as the two corporals conversed, then Neil's shoulders slumped and his lips curved into a grimace. When the messenger left, Neil strode angrily up to Gray.

"Guess who's stuck in maintenance tonight?" Neil seethed. "There's a Copperhead with a problem in the navigational systems, and they want me to repair it by tomorrow. That could take all night!" His voice was almost a wail.

"General Hein's really going out of his way to punish us," Gray said grimly. He didn't like this abuse of his team. He'd have to speak to the general...

"Actually, the order was from Major Elliot, but same difference," Neil muttered sullenly. "We have other techs..."

"But you're the best," Gray said, trying to cheer his teammate up.

"Yeah," Neil sighed. Then, "Hey, Captain, you don't look so hot."

"I don't feel that great, either." Gray ran the fingers of his left hand over the bandages on his arm. "I'm going to see the doctors after this."

"You should go now," Neil said. "We'll cover for you. After all, you're hurt, and there's only half an hour left anyway."

Gray opened his mouth to argue, but just then, a sharp pain stabbed his skull, and he winced. "Maybe you're right," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry to leave you, though."

"We'll understand. And at least one of us deserves to be rested by tomorrow," Neil said glumly.

Gray nodded and left, intending to make straight for the infirmary. But, as he passed a window, something compelled him to stop and gaze outward and upward where, past the barrier's all-encompassing glow, a full moon began to rise.

* * *

The pain in his skull, which had been steadily growing since he'd left Neil and the others, suddenly seemed to explode, blossoming into an agony that tore through his whole body. Gray staggered, his fingers brushing one cool concrete wall as he reached out for support. Then his limbs spasmed and he was thrown to the floor.

_I'm having a seizure! _ Gray's body jerked, and he suddenly found himself longing to get out of the open corridor, away from prying eyes. He dragged himself into a janitorial closet before he realized what he was doing. _This is wrong! I need help! I need to find someone! Anyone!_

He tried to get to his feet, but his legs refused to carry his weight. Even his arms wouldn't respond; they felt leaden, dead to his commands. His flesh writhed on his arms, and watching the movement made him feel ill. His body curled into a fetal position, and he began to wretch...

The change hit suddenly, sweeping through his body. Limbs twisted unnaturally, muscle bulked and his uniform was ripped away, revealing swatches of grey fur that lengthened and thickened. Bones cracked and reformed themselves, and his spine pushed free of his flesh, sprouting a plume of the course fur. His fingernails lengthened and sharpened, his fingers shortened and thickened. Gray got a glimpse of what looked like an enormous dog's paw.

Then his vision was obscured as his nose and jaw lengthened, and the scream that had been threatening boiled past his gums as a keening, drawn out howl.

When the pain lessened, not quite fading completely, Gray looked at the world through the eyes of a predator.

* * *

"This sucks! I'm going to be here all night!" Neil's voice echoed through the empty hangar, the only sound besides the occasional creak of metal. He was lying on his back under the Copperhead, having decided it wasn't the navigational system's software that was messed up but the hardware. He was now examining ever part of the system, searching for the glitch. "I mean, it's bad enough that I had to miss dinner, but now I can't even go to sleep. How can they expect me to be at fighting strength?"

He wished he had a radio. His voice wasn't doing much to fill the silence, and he'd been on edge ever since that thing had attacked the captain. The look in the beast's eyes haunted him still. It had fearlessly met his gaze, acknowledging him... marking him...

"It was just a dog," Neil said crossly. "A big scary one. That the Phantoms stayed away from. And it did manage to run away with a throat wound. And it's spirit was strange was strange. But it was just a dog, that's all."

There was a soft sound, and Neil stiffened. He slowed his breathing, and strained his ears. _It's nothing... There aren't any unfathomable dark eyes staring at me from the darkness... That wasn't the scrape of a claw on cement..._

"It's probably just a Phantom," Neil whispered to himself. "Something nice and harmless - well, not really - and familiar." Neil peered out from under the Copperhead. "It's not a big, bloodthirsty dog that has no way of getting inside the city. Heck, it's probably some soldier who wants to scare me to death. Well, it isn't going to work!"

So why didn't he believe it? Those eyes... There'd been something in their depths that convinced him the creature was far more than a stray dog. "Besides, it was touched by a Phantom. It's probably dead by now. The poor thing was probably just hungry, or eager for attention, yeah." Neil's voice was getting steadily more shrill, and he forced himself to fall silent again. He heard no other sound except the rapid pounding of his heart.

_I'm an idiot. I've been in here alone countless times. What makes me so nervous tonight?_

Still, he decided to hurry. He reached for his knife to pry open the panel before him, then realized he no longer had it. _It's buried in that thing's throat... _With a sigh, Neil began to crawl out from under the ship, on hand reaching towards the toolbox.

A clawed foot came down on his hand, and a pair of deep, dark eyes, set in a savage face with a toothy, gaping maw, came into view.

"Oh, shit!" Neil screamed, as another paw flashed towards him, and blood splattered on the floor.

To Be Continued...


	2. Blood Stains His Hands

Disclaimer:  Again, I don't own any of the characters involved within the fic.

Author's Note:  Part one got a better response than I expected.  Looks like I'll have to do that long supernatural fic after all!  By the way, this is the _fourth_ version of this chapter.  All my other versions seemed to turn Gray into a cute little fuzzy wuzzy puppy.  This fic maybe rated PG-13, but I don't want it to be too friendly!  And due to the changes I'm making, it seems this fic is going to be much longer than I'd originally planned.  Is that good or bad?

**SHADOW MOON**

**A 'Falls the Shadow' fic**

Part Two

Blood Stains His Hands

Swiftly, silently, the other approached the military hangar.  It moved between the shadows with an ease born of long practice, melting from one patch of darkness into another with barely a sound.  It drew no attention as it crept closer and closer…

It paused once to swipe irritably at the hole in its neck; the wound wasn't fatal, but it wouldn't close!  For that, the soft, fleshy human would pay…

All its senses snapped to alert as it neared its prey.  A strange, yet familiar musky odor assaulted its nostrils, and it wrinkled its nose in distaste.  There was something else here!  The massive wolf-creature pricked its ears, and it slunk forward on its belly to investigate, careful not to leave the shadows.

A low snarl escaped its lips when it saw a large grey creature, its body an unholy blending of man and wolf, with its head thrust under a large Copperhead. The smell of blood came to its nostrils, and its ears flattened.  _Mine!  My prey!  _This other creature was after the prey it had chosen!

The creature quelled its jealousy as it considered the repercussions of its mistake.  It had created another.  Hiding itself was hard enough; but now it had created another to endanger its existence, a relative infant in its powers.  The one who had hurt it was no longer important; it needed to fix this mistake!

But not here.  Not tonight.  The wound in its neck still burned, and the other looked strong and fit, despite a limp in one of its front legs.  A battle between the two wouldn't be easy, even with the element of surprise.  It would have to wait for now.

With a disdainful flick of its tail, the creature left.  It was a pity, really.  It had hoped to feed its body the blood it craved.

*    *    *

Neil knew he was in danger, but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the creature's savage face until one of the massive paws slashed forward, catching Neil above the navel and tearing deep furrows in the flesh up to his throat.  Only then did Neil break from the creature's hypnotic gaze as he screamed in agony and rolled his hurting body further back under the ship.

The beast emitted a keening cry, a sound that was a cross between a wolf's howl and... a man's scream?  But Neil had no time to contemplate what that meant as the monster, excited by the scent of blood, lunged forward.  It overestimated the height of the Copperhead's belly, however, and caught its hunched shoulders on the metal plates.  It yelped in surprise, and its claws scrabbled against the concrete as it tried to pull its bulk underneath.  It lashed out, paw catching Neil's ankle and twisting.  Neil screamed and scrambled away, only escaping because the blood on his ankle made it too slick for the beast to hold.

Neil's vision swam, and he was barely holding on to consciousness.  _If I black out now, that thing will finish me off!  _Neil wriggled away on his belly, fighting back waves of pain and leaving behind a thick smear of blood.  _So much blood...  _Neil tried not to think about his life's blood pumping out through the gashes in his chest, or the creature behind him.  He didn't dare look back, but he imagined he could feel its hot, fetid breath on his neck...

His goal was the Copperhead's open hatch in the cockpit.  The ladder leading upwards was only a few feet away, almost within reach.  But at this point, the ship's belly rose higher and, while he could rise safely beyond his hands and knees, the creature could get through more easily, as well.

When he felt the metal rungs of the ladder under his hand, he almost wept with joy.  But...  he couldn't get his feet to work!  They were like water, and wouldn't respond to his commands.  _I have to get up there!  Oh, God, I don't want to die!_  With hands slippery with blood, he began to pull himself up the rungs, realizing that, at any moment, the creature would dart out from under the ship and attack and there'd be nothing he could do about it because he hurt so much...

His slick hands lost their grip, and Neil fell with a cry into a heap on the floor.  _No!  This isn't fair!  _As he lay, unable to get up, he suddenly realized the creature was no longer in sight, and that he hadn't heard anything beyond the rapid beating of his heart for the past several moments.  Had it left?  That was too much to hope for.

Neil strained his ears, but could hear nothing else.  He knew he still had to get out of there, but he was so weak...  No!  He wouldn't give up!  He tried to get his feet under him, biting his lip to keep from screaming as pain flared up from his ankle.  One bloody hand extended towards the ladder.

With a harsh growl, the creature dropped to the ground beside him.  Slavering jaws grinned at him, and its tongue licked its chops in anticipation.  Neil opened his mouth for one last scream, but all that came out was a weak whimper.  He scrambled backwards, moving more slowly as the pain began to overcome his adrenaline rush.

_So this is the end...  Killed not by Phantoms, but by some giant dog.  Not what I'd hoped for..._  His hand encountered something smooth and metallic that rolled away from him. Neil slanted his head to see what he'd hit.  _A crowbar!  _He'd scattered his tools untidily around the ship earlier, and the bar would make an excellent weapon, if he only had the strength to swing it.

The creature suddenly crouched on its haunches, poised to spring.  Neil made a desperate grab for the crowbar, bringing it up as the creature made its leap.  He brought it down with all his remaining strength on the creature's head.

The blow had a devastating effect on the creature.  Its screams nearly deafened Neil as its body twisted in midair.  It landed beside Neil, collapsing as if its feet couldn't take its weight.  It lay silent and still, with only the occasional twitching of a limb or ear showing it still lived.  Strips of cloth clung tightly to its body, but Neil was too beyond caring to wonder why.

_Guess I don't know my own strength, _was Neil's last thought as he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

*    *    *

The sound of his alarm woke Gray, and he groaned as the incessant ringing tore through his aching head, clawing at his brain with merciless talons.  His hand fumbled for the clock, but his motor control was off and his nerveless hand knocked the clock from his nightstand.  The sound of it breaking on the floor was like someone taking a hammer to his head.

_Shit...  _Why did he hurt so much?  He felt as though he had the hangover from hell, but he hadn't gotten drunk since before his academy days.  Gray pushed his body into a sitting position, absently taking in the disheveled condition of his bed.  Apparently, his sleep had been restless.

He rubbed his face, frowning as his fingers encountered swollen skin along the bridge of his nose.  One eye was nearly sealed shut from the overhanging lump.  No wonder his head hurt!    But when had he taken a blow to the face?  He couldn't remember...  that was a bad sign, wasn't it?  What if he had a concussion?  Had he even seen a doctor?

He stumbled to his feet, fighting back a wave of dizziness.  He groaned again.  How was he supposed to go on duty like this?  But at least his arm was feeling better, he realized.  The pain had dulled around his elbow, and he could flex his arm without hurting it.

Thoughts of his arm's recovery flew out of his head when he saw his hands.  His eyes widened as he examined his fingertips.  Blood stained his hands...  It was under his nails, streaking his fingers, caught in the folds of his flesh...  Dried blood, which he now realized was splattered across his bare chest.  _That can't be mine...  Except for my head wound, and the one on my elbow, I'm not hurt!  Then, whose blood is it?_

_What happened last night?  _Gray whipped his head around, ignoring the dizziness as he searched for clues to what had brought him to such a state.  _My clothes!  _He still wore his officer's uniform, or what was left of it.  Small shreds of it hung in ribbons around his body, along with strands of coarse gray hairs.  Gray began to tremble as it slowly sank in.  Something terrible had happened last night, and he'd been involved somehow.  But what was it?

_Blood... teasing his nostrils, exciting him into carelessness.  Blood... so close, but out of reach.  Blood...  pumping from his prey, pooling on the floor in hot, steaming puddles.  The scent of blood, mingled with the overpowering odor of the prey's fear, was so thick he could practically taste it..._

Gray drew in his breath with a sharp gasp.  Again his eyes were drawn to the dark stains on his fingers.  _What have I done?  _The brief flash of memory hadn't given him any indication of the damage he'd caused.  _What have I done?_

A flashing light on his answering machine caught his eye, and with numb fingers he played the message.  "Captain Edwards," the recorded voice began, "please come to the infirmary as soon as you receive this message."  A chill went down his spine as he stared at the orderly's small image.  "It's one of your men, Corporal Neil Fleming.  He's been hurt."  The message ended there.

"What have I done?!" Gray screamed.

*    *    *

Ryan and Jane were already there.  Jane's face was pale and drawn, and Ryan was solemn.  He found them in the waiting room, where Jane was pacing while Ryan sat and thumbed through a magazine.  When he arrived, both stopped what they were doing and immediately came to him.

"Sir, what happened to your head?" Jane blurted out.  Gray touched the bandage firmly affixed to the swollen skin, then shrugged.  

"I passed out on my way to my quarters last night.  I guess I fell on something. I'm all right, don't worry."  It seemed the most reasonable explanation.  "What happened to Neil?"

"We don't know," Ryan said.  "They found him in the hangar this morning, covered in blood.  His chest has been ripped open, and his ankle's been twisted and broken.  They think someone attacked him with a knife," he said hollowly.

Gray curled his gloved fingers into his palms.  The blood had been washed away, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling that it was still there, for all the world to see.  Was it Neil's blood?  "How is he?"

"They stitched him up," Ryan continued. "And they reset his ankle.  He'll recover, though he'll carry some of the scars forever.  He was lucky; none of his vital organs were pierced.  But he lost so much blood... He's unconscious, the doctor said, and has been since he was brought in.  The doctor doesn't know when he'll awaken.  Until then, we have no idea who his attacker is."

"A sick bastard," Jane snarled.  "Whoever did it didn't just stabbed him; they slashed him open.  The general has ordered an investigation, and Neil is to be questioned as soon as he awakens.  Someone like this is dangerous to us all."

Gray swallowed.  Dangerous was right...  especially if the enemy was within himself.  Had he been the one who had attacked Neil?  Had he, in a fit of delirium, taken a knife to one of his men?

"Assuming it was human after all," Ryan ventured softly.  The others looked at him in surprise.  "It's a hell of a coincidence that the captain is attacked by a beast the other night, and then the next night Neil is mauled.  What if... what if the creature somehow hitched a ride back here, or tracked us here somehow?"

"That's impossible," Jane said slowly.  "Isn't it, sir?" she turned to Gray, who swallowed uncomfortably.  "It was infected.  It should be dead by now.  And anyway, it was just a dog."

"The doctor did say the slashes resembled claw marks," Ryan argued.

_Claw marks...  _The blood had been under Gray's nails, as if he'd used them to tear through flesh... 

Gray didn't have an answer for them.  Instead, he murmured, "Can we see him?"

"We were just waiting for you," Ryan said.  They followed him down the hallway until the sergeant halted them.  "He's supposed to be in this room."

There was a doctor within, and the woman glanced up as they entered.  "He's still unconscious," she said.  "But his vital signs are normal, and there's no sign of infection, so he should come out of this all right."

"Doctor, was there anything... unusual about the wounds?" Gray asked.  She'd probably already heard the question, but he wanted to do some investigating of his own.

The woman frowned.  "As I told the men here earlier, they were likely done with a knife.  But whoever did it made it resemble a claw pattern.  Obviously a fake; there aren't any animals around that would have claws that big and wide-spread."

Gray looked down at Neil's face, bloodless and locked into a grimace of pain.  A bandage was wrapped around his throat where the wound began.  "I came in the other night with a bite wound; a large one.  Could it have been done by a creature of similar size?"  He unwrapped his arm, then stared at the flesh underneath.  It was almost fully healed...  The others gasped, but Gray ignored them and presented his arm to the woman.

"When did you come in?  This is an old wound," she said.  Her brow furrowed in puzzlement.  "My God, it _is _bite wound.  But the creature's mouth would have to be..."  She glanced down at her patient.  "Something with a bite radius that size could have paws large enough to cause that damage," she said finally.

_That's it, then... It _was _that creature!  _He hadn't been involved at all.  Gray repressed his sigh of relief.  _I'm not a killer. It must have been a dream...  Perhaps the blood is just from my head wound, after all.   Of course, now I have to tell General Hein the perp is a giant dog.  Better than believing it's one of his own men, I suppose._

Jane's eyes narrowed.  "Then you think it _was _that creature?  What would it be doing here?"

"I'm going to report to General Hein.  I want you two to carry out your duties for today; worrying about this won't do either of you or Neil any good."  Gray smiled crookedly. "I'm sure we can catch this thing before it kills someone."

"If things are that simple.  It's probably some experiment belong to the scientists, a new weapon that can withstand a Phantom attack.  Maybe Hein will try to cover it up instead of destroying it,"  Ryan said bitterly.

Gray's lips tightened.  That would be a good explanation of why the creature was here in the first place.  Perhaps Dr. Sid had sent them out the other night in the hopes that they'd recapture it for them.  Or perhaps they'd been deemed expendable and had been meant as a test of its abilities...

"That's being paranoid," he chided his normally cheerful second.  "It's probably nothing more than a loose dog.  Neil had no diseases, right?" Gray asked the doctor, who nodded.

"He's healthy, though we gave him some antibiotics to be sure," she said.  "We're keeping a close eye on him."

"Then there's nothing more we can do here."  Gray ushered his squad out.  He paused once in the door, glancing back at his injured man.  For a brief instant, he saw his friend crouched in his own blood, an expression of fear distorting his face.  Gray shook his head, and the image was gone.  _It wasn't a memory...  I'm just imagining things.  It wasn't a memory..._

He didn't find that very convincing.

*    *    *

"Sir?"  Gray waited respectfully by Hein's office door.  He could hear the man inside, but didn't want to barge in.  Hein's desk sergeant was absent, and there was no one to announce Gray's presence.  Even Major Elliot, Hein's shadow, wasn't around.

"Who is it?" Hein's voice was irritable, and Gray hid his groan.  He wasn't going to be very receptive towards Gray's wild theory.

"It's Captain Edwards, sir," Gray replied.  "I need to speak to you."  Hein grunted an affirmative, and Gray entered the shadowy office.  Hein was seated, examining a document he'd projected in the air in front of him.  He must have been in a hurry that morning, Gray noted with some surprise.  Hein's normally immaculately groomed hair hung around his face, and the collar of his shirt was unbuttoned.  Gray saluted, which Hein ignored.

"Yes, Captain."  Hein released his breath in a hiss.  "You and your squad are causing quite a bit of trouble.  First your little expedition, and now this attack."  The holographic document dissolved at his command, and Hein turned his attention to Gray.  "Is your team just getting careless?"  Gray's lips curled into a snarl, but it wasn't worth taking on Hein at the moment.  He wanted the man to be receptive towards what he had to say.  "At least you seem to have recovered well," he noted.  Gray frowned, resting his left hand over the site of his injury.  The rapidness with which it healed disturbed him.  "Though I'm curious about your head wound."

That was getting difficult to explain, too.  What _had _happened last night?  "I passed out and hit my head," he said.  He tried to make his voice sound embarrassed, as if he didn't want to admit it.  It sounded better than saying he didn't know...

A smile touched Hein's lips.  "Clumsy, Captain?  But that's beside the point.  I'm wasting valuable resources trying to find out why your team has had such bad luck.  And so far, I have no answers, if that's what you're here for."

_So Hein hasn't found anything yet.  That answers one question.  _"That is what I'm here about, sir," Gray said stiffly.  "But...  I think the two incidents could be connected."

Hein's cold eyes narrowed.  "You think your dog attacked Corporal Fleming," he said derisively.  He rested his chin in his gloved hands and coolly studied the captain.   "Just how hard did you hit your head?"

"I was attacked by something resembling an enormous dog.  Whatever went after Neil could have used claws, and it would have been large as well.  The creature we encountered could easily have done that kind of damage."

"You really believe this, don't you?" Hein's sardonic voice was incredulous.

"I don't know what to believe," Gray said.  "I'm just trying to find answers, and I thought any bit of information would help."  Gray couldn't really blame Hein for his skepticism; he wouldn't believe it, either, if he hadn't been attacked.  

"Hmph."   Hein turned away, and Gray received the impression he was being dismissed.  

"Thanks for your time, sir," Gray said.  Hein waved him away, restoring the screen he'd been reading through earlier.  _Well, at least he didn't lose his temper. _ Gray turned to go, but paused when he caught sight of Hein's exposed neck.  He had a large, ragged scar near his jugular.

"Still here, Captain?" Hein said, glancing up at him.  He seemed to realize what Gray was looking at and pulled the collar over the scarred skin.

"I was just leaving, sir," Gray said.  He saluted and left the office.

*    *    *

Neil still hadn't woken by nightfall.  As the sun began to set, Gray excused himself from the waiting room where his off-duty squad were sitting, advising them to go to bed as he did so.  They'd reluctantly agreed, but left only after checking in briefly on their injured teammate.  Gray slipped off on his own, intent on getting to his room where he could lock himself in.

_It was a dog.  A big, dumb animal!  _But if that were true, why hadn't General Hein found it yet?  Thus far, there'd been no luck finding out who - or what - had attacked Neil.  Gray was taking no chances.  He'd woken with blood on his hands and no memory of how it had gotten there.  He wasn't going to take that chance again.  

At least he felt better tonight, though.  His head was clear, and the ache he'd awakened with had diminished.  Even the lump on his forehead had gone down, a rapid recovery that surprised him but caused no alarm.

Arriving at his quarters, Gray proceeded to change the shredded covers on his bed, something he hadn't had time to do all day.  He picked up a swatch of coarse grey hairs, and examined them closely.  _Where had they come from, anyway?  _It didn't look like human hair; it was more like fur.

_It came from the creature..._  Perhaps when it had attacked Gray, it had shed on him, and he hadn't noticed before.  That had to be it.  There was no other explanation, Gray told himself as he folded the slashed sheets and prepared to stuff them in the closet for later disposal.  But he stopped when he saw the pattern of one of the slash marks:  Four parallel tears, set wide apart...  like claw marks...

Now he was getting paranoid.  He put away the sheet, pulling out a fresh set and making his bed.  Then he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for something to happen.  After about ten minutes, he felt rather foolish.  What was he expecting, anyway?  To suddenly become a raging, murderous lunatic?  Here he was, locked inside his room, waiting for something that couldn't possibly happen, when the real attacker wandered free!

There was no way he was getting any sleep any time soon.  He decided to volunteer himself for one of Hein's search patrols, hoping he'd be able to find what the others couldn't.  He pulled on a clean uniform and left his room, pausing once to look out a window, where he could see the city as brightly as if it were day, despite the late hour.  He couldn't see where, beyond the barrier, the moon was rising, with a small sliver missing from its edge.

*    *    *

He was lost, adrift in a world of shadows.  He was in a world like his own, but different.  The shadows were prevalent, making the world a darker place than he was accustomed to.  The dead walked among the living, and there were eyes gleaming in the dark, watching, waiting...  He wanted to run, but he didn't know where to go.  Around every corner was another shadow, more eyes, more death masquerading as life...  His tried to quicken his strides, but every movement tore at him, making his wounds hurt more...  The blood dripped from the holes in his chest, the trail of crimson he left behind the only color in a world stained with shades of grey.  

A snuffling noise behind him drew his attention, and he turned.  A massive creature detached itself from the darkness, taking shape into a massive, doglike creature - no, _wolf-like _- and it sniffed at the blood.  Its tongue lashed out, licking it up in one swipe.  Then it raised its head to face him, mouth open in a grin, scarlet-stained tongue lolling.  The promise of death galvanized him into action, and suddenly the pain didn't bother him anymore.  Now he ran, even as his life's blood flowed away with every rapid heartbeat.  He ran, and ran, and ran... and everywhere there fell the shadows that made the world a more dangerous place than he'd originally thought.  Behind him, the creature loped along easily, in no hurry to finish him off. It knew he had no chance...

Then he fell to the hard pavement beneath, his legs too weak to carry him any longer.  Blood pooled beneath him, more than he should have been able to lose and still be alive.  The creature trotted up to him, still grinning its unearthly smile, and then its features began to distort, the muzzle shriveling, the fur rippling and fading...  until a shadowy being that was undeniably _human _stood there, advancing on him with a silent stride, a hunter's prowl.  The person knelt down, dipping a hand into the pooled blood, then licked the long fingers.  A scarlet smile stood out against the shadowed face, and he felt a scream bubble past his lips.  He let it loose, screaming until his throat was raw, but it was no good!  The other placed its stained hand on his shoulder, and he knew his death was coming...

...but instead, a vigorous shaking pulled him out of the world of shadows into another, this one brightly lit and smelling of antiseptic.  His screams broke off as he met the concerned face of a woman in a doctor's coat, and her gentle voice broke through his panicked mind.  "Corporal Fleming, calm down.  It was a dream.  You're safe, you're all right..." the woman repeated the words over and over until they sank in, and Neil gasped for breath. "Wh-where...?" he tried to ask in a voice as weak as a newborn's.

"You're in the hospital," the woman said in a soothing tone.  "You were attacked. You'll be all right, though.  Everything will be all right."

Neil met her eyes, seeing the truth in them.  So he wasn't dying...  But the dream - if that had been all it was - still dominated his mind.  The message of it was clear; the world was a far darker place than he'd suspected, darker even than the Phantoms had made it.  _No, _he wanted to tell the woman, _everything _isn't _all right.  Nothing will ever be all right again._

*    *    *

Gray got the news the next morning, after Hein's men had questioned his corporal.  Neil was awake, but the doctors were reluctant to let him see any visitors.  Hein's men hadn't been concerned with Neil's well being, and the doctor had driven them out when Neil had been reduced to a nervous wreck.

"Did he say anything useful?" Gray asked his teammates.  He was again the last to arrive, though he'd been bone-tired when he'd finally gotten to sleep the previous night.  Hein had accepted his offer for help and put him to work, and Gray hadn't gotten any sleep until after two o'clock.  And they'd had no luck.

"Only that it _was_ a creature that attacked him," Ryan said.  "The men seemed a little miffed that their culprit is a dog."

"Can we see him?" Gray asked.  His gaze was on the hall they'd followed before, where two orderlies were prowling the hall as if they were on guard duty.  Jane saw where he was looking.

"After his interrogation," she said bitterly, "Neil was so worked up that the doctor said he wasn't to get any more visitors.  They've even got people watching the room in case Hein decides to pull rank and force his men to be admitted."

"Actually," a voice interrupted smoothly, "he's been asking for you.  As long as you don't upset him, you can be permitted a short visit."  The woman doctor they'd met the previous day stood behind them, a stern look on her face.  "But if you do _anything _to get him worked up, you will be denied visiting privileges."

Even Jane was intimidated by the woman's threat.  "Right," she said, her voice uncharacteristically meek.  Gray suppressed a smile as they followed the woman to Neil's room.

He looked better today, Gray noted.  There was some color in his cheeks, and Neil smiled when he saw them.  Gray stood back and let his teammates greet the tech first.

Jane's first words were an insult, and Gray inwardly winced.  But Neil took it all in a stride, though he didn't make his usual snappy comeback.  Ryan stood a little behind Jane, participating in the friendly banter and helping to put Neil at ease.  Gray hung back a little; these were his friends, but sometimes they thought of him as their leader, not their equal.  His presence usually meant business, and he wanted Neil to enjoy himself for awhile.

Besides, he was afraid that if he got close to Neil again, he'd see those terrible images of blood he'd gotten before…

"Hey, Cap, do I really look that bad?" Neil's weak voice penetrated his thoughts, and Gray started.  It wouldn't do for him to stand around lost in thought when his teammate needed him.  Gray stepped closer, putting a smile on his face.

"You look good, Neil," he reassured the corporal.  "You'll be up and about in no time."  The rest of what he'd been about to say stuck in his throat as the expression on Neil's face changed.  The blood drained from his face, making him as pale as he'd been the other day.  His eyes had gone wide, and he seemed to be trying to bury himself into his pillow.

"Neil?  Is something wrong?"  Jane's voice was tinged with alarm.

"I… I think I need to talk to the captain alone," he whispered.

*    *    *

The whole world seemed to shatter around Neil.  He'd spent the last few hours assuring himself that everything was all right, that he'd been attacked by a mad dog which would soon be captured.  Even the insistent questions and obvious disbelief of Hein's men when they'd questioned him hadn't shaken this conviction.  But now…

It was the wound on Gray's face that caught his attention.  The skin between his eyes was puffy and discolored, and there was a faint line where a cut had healed.  But Gray hadn't had that wound before Neil's attack, and it shouldn't have healed in the time since.  And it matched the one he'd given the creature.

_No… it can't be true.  It's a coincidence.  It's just a wild theory based on a myth!_  It was the dream that had clued him in, reminding him of stories he'd heard as a child when his older brother had tried to convince him there were things scarier than the Phantoms.  Ghosts.  Vampires.  Zombies.  _Werewolves_…  The night they'd encountered the beast in the city, there'd been a full moon.  And, unless Neil was mistaken, there'd also been one the following night.

"Neil?  What's wrong?" Gray moved closer to him, and Neil got a good look at his arm.  It had only a light bandage, and Gray moved it easily, as if it didn't bother him anymore.  But the bite wound had been deep, and painful, Neil recalled.

"Sir," Neil said in a tremulous voice, "where did you get that wound on your head?"

There was a brief flash of uncertainty in the captain's features, then he said smoothly, "I was sick the night you were attacked.  I passed out and hit my head."  Gray shrugged as if it were nothing.

_He doesn't remember…  _No, that wasn't quite true; the captain had an uneasy expression on his face that alarmed Neil.  _What is going on with him?_

"How are you feeling?" Gray continued, changing the subject.  "You look a little pale."

_You would, too, if you knew what the world was really like.  _The dream had been an omen, a warning.  If one kind of creature of the night existed, others could as well.  The Phantoms weren't the only danger on the planet.  _Maybe I'm just paranoid.  Please, God, let me be paranoid.  I couldn't bear it if there was some truth in the dream…_

"I'm fine," Neil said softly, searching his captain's eyes.  _Was it you?  What do you know?  _"What attacked me was no dog," he blurted out suddenly.

Gray started.  "But I thought you told Hein's men – "

"I know what I told them," Neil said numbly.  _Why am I telling him this?  He'll never believe me!  _"Sir, it wasn't a dog.  It was too big, and too smart. And there was something about it that wasn't… animal-like."  _Something about it had been human…  _"Do you know anything about werewolves?"  _Because, so help me, I think _you _could be one!_

To Be Continued…


	3. Between Darkness and Light

Disclaimer:  Standard disclaimer applies. Nothing here owned by me, all by Squaresoft.

Author's Note:  I can't seem to give this story the dark tone I was trying for, and it's bothering me.  Well, I have two chapters left; maybe I can accomplish it by the end.  And this chapter has been rewritten twice already.  I don't know what it is about this fic that makes me obsessively redo everything!  And I now know why I usually avoid linking a werewolf curse to the full moon; the days in between are a drag!

**SHADOW MOON**

**A 'Falls the Shadow' fic**

Part Three

Between Darkness and Light

_Werewolves…  _The word conjured up images, suddenly sharp and clear, of blood and flesh that parted like butter beneath razor claws and the scent of fear in the air like an intoxicating drug…   Werewolves, creatures of legend that transformed under a full moon, grew fur, grew claws, losing themselves completely to the bloodlust…  _My bedding was covered with fur, and the tears were like claw marks!  _Werewolves, savage killers who hunted the night, like the creature they'd hunted, who'd hunted them… who'd bitten him…_  The curse is passed through a bite!_

Gray plastered a false smile to his face, hoping to reassure the tech.  "Neil," he began calmly, "there's no such thing – "

"There's a whole other world in the shadows," Neil said suddenly, a strange, almost fevered look crossing his face.  "The dead walk there and prey on the living…  The light holds them back, but the shadow is spreading, falling over us all…" Neil began to shake, and sweat beaded his forehead.  _Fever… He's delirious!_

Gray opened his mouth to call for the doctor, but she came before he could utter a sound, summoned perhaps by Neil's moaning and thrashing.  "What did you do?" she seethed, her rage more frightening than a horde of Phantoms.

"Nothing!  He was just speaking to us normally, then asked to see me alone, then…"  _Then he panicked…  _"Then he seemed to lapse into a delirious state," Gray said helplessly. His eyes were on Neil's, which were rolling wildly.  Froth flecked his lips, tinged with blood.  The look of terror hadn't left his face, but had further twisted it into a grotesque shape.

"Get out… Get out!" the doctor ordered angrily.  She was bent over Neil, and seemed to sense where his terror was directed.  Gray beat a hasty retreat, almost running from the hospital before the doctor could corner him and question Neil's reaction.  Jane and Ryan were nowhere in sight, so he kept running away from the terrified tech and his wild accusations.  _Werewolves…  They don't exist!  They don't exist!_

Gray didn't stop his flight until he reached the park outside the hospital.  The sad cluster of decrepit, fenced-in trees and withered flowers hardly fit the name, but the bleak atmosphere suited Gray's grim mood.  He found a bench on the lonely far side of the park and collapsed onto the hard plastic with a sigh.  He and his squad were off duty for the next few days, so he had plenty of time to think things through.

Why had he reacted so strongly to Neil's question?  Why had Neil been so terrified of him?

What had happened that night?

Gray closed his eyes and leaned back against the bench.  He concentrated on emptying his head of all thoughts except for the fragments of memories he had of that night.

_Pain…  _That was the first, most vivid recollection.  His arm had throbbed and his head had felt as if it would burst.  The pain had continued to intensify until he was achingly aware of everything; the blood pulsing in his veins, the rapid beating of his heart…  Even his senses had been heightened; his hearing and sense of smell had threatened to overwhelm him.

_I… I smelled them!  _He suddenly, horribly recalled the scent of the others, each odor imprinting itself on his mind, calling to… to something that was coiled within, waiting for release.

_No… this is impossible.  I'm just rattled by what Neil said.  _Then why couldn't he just dismiss what Neil had said out of hand?  _Because of the blood on my hands…__  Gray examined his fingers, though all traces of blood had since been washed away.  __Where did it come from?  Try as he might, he just couldn't dredge up anything more of that night from his memories, except fragments that could have been nightmares… or could be something much, much more…_

_But… a werewolf?__  Impossible!  As if to prove him wrong, the gentle breeze that had been tugging at the listless plants seemed to grow louder, roaring in his ears and bringing to him sounds from across the park that should have been inaudible.  His flaring nostrils picked up the staleness of the air around him, and the faint odor of rot from within the plants.  And his vision…_

For a brief moment, he could see _spirits, _within the people jogging past him, glowing weakly within the hearts of the stunted trees, rippling like an oily blue ocean beneath the grass… And there, in the deep shadow cast by one old tree that had almost managed to grow normally, was… something.  Before he could do more than glimpse it, his sensed returned to normal, and he lost it.

_There's a whole other world in the shadows…  The shadow is spreading, falling over us all…  _Neil's fevered words came back to him.  Gray couldn't suppress a sudden chill that went down his spine.

_It's nothing!  I'm just unsettled, is all.  There are no werewolves, and there isn't anything living in the shadows._

He just hoped the light of the full moon wouldn't prove him wrong.

*    *    *

General Hein summoned him that afternoon.  Gray hoped the general had news of Neil's attacker; the fact that there was someone or something out there that had mauled one of the elite Deep Eyes in the safety of the hangar had many soldiers on edge.

He met Hein in the conference room, where the general was staring out the window, his dark coat making him blend perfectly with the shadows.  His head was angled back, watching Gray out of the corner of his eye.  Major Elliot stood off to the side, a weary expression on his face.  Gray supposed he'd been doing the bulk of the investigating.

A low growl caught Gray's attention, and he turned, his body tensed for battle.  _What the hell?  _The sound came from a small box resting on the conference room table.  Hein followed his gaze, and a sneer played across his lips as he took in Gray's reaction.  "We searched the entire military building for your…'dog,'" Hein said coolly, striding over to the box.  "This was the most vicious creature we found."

Gray wasn't sure what to expect from the creature's savage growls, but he almost burst out laughing as Hein opened the box and a tiny head popped out, ears slicked back and teeth fiercely bared.  "Mutt here belongs to one of my soldiers," Hein said as the dog clumsily leaped out of the box and skittered around the smooth table, growling at all three of them.  "Please tell me your man wasn't savaged by a Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix."

Gray couldn't hide his pained expression.  The general had called him here to have fun at Neil's expense.  He hadn't suspected the general of such cruel humor.  "I don't understand what the general is trying to tell me," Gray said stiffly.

Hein reached a hand to stroke the tiny dog, but with a low growl, it darted forward and bit his hand, tearing through the leather glove to the skin beneath.  Blood welled from the pale flesh.  "Only that this is a waste of time, Captain."  He gestured to Major Elliot, who scooped the squirming dog into his arms and left with it.  "Perhaps you were attacked by a stray dog, but your tech was most likely the victim of someone who heard about it your little unauthorized expedition and decided to dress up in a mask and give the corporal a little scare.  That may be why the hangar cameras picked up nothing; anyone who would have heard about this would be military, and would have access to the cameras to wipe out the evidence."

Gray paid no attention to the last bit as Hein's words sank in.  He was doubting Neil?  Admittedly, Gray himself wouldn't have paid heed to Neil's wild ravings…  Except for his feelings that something was horribly wrong.  And Gray had learned to trust his feelings.

"We will continue the investigation, of course," Hein said smoothly, "but I want no more talk of giant dogs."

"Yes, sir," Gray said flatly.

"One last thing before you're dismissed," Hein said, his hand going to his pocket and withdrawing something that glinted in the dim light.  "This was recovered by a patrol the other night."  He held out a knife, one of those issued to all Deep Eyes soldiers.  _Evidence?__ Gray wondered.  "Judging from the serial number, it belongs to your tech.  Don't let him lose it again; these things are expensive.  They're silver alloy, you know."_

There was a strange expression in Hein's eyes as he said the last, but Gray ignored it.  _Where had Hein found the knife?  _The chances of a patrol just happening upon it were slim to nil.  So where else could he have gotten it?  He reached for the knife, curling his fingers around the hilt – 

- and cried out in pain as his flesh came into contact with the metal.  Hein's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, only turning away as though disgusted.

Gray opened his shaking hand, staring in shock at the huge welts that had formed across his palm where the flesh had brushed the metal.  What the hell?

He looked up at Hein to see how the man was reacting, but Hein was busy examining his bitten finger and the blood that still trickled sluggishly from the shallow cut.  He seemed completely unconcerned by Gray's hesitation to touch the knife.  Why had it hurt?  He didn't want to consider the thought while in the conference room with Hein, however, so he fished a handkerchief from one pocket and picked up the knife with it, placing it in his pocket.  "Was there anything else you wanted of me, sir?"  Gray asked, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Hein didn't look up.  "You may go, Captain.  I found out everything I need to know."

Gratefully, Gray walked to the door, trying not to seem as if he were in a hurry.  But before he left he paused, realizing he still didn't know how Neil's knife had been recovered.  He turned around, opening his mouth to ask.

The words caught in his throat as he saw the look on Hein's face.  The man's eyes were closed, an expression of ecstasy on his face as he licked the blood from his finger.

*    *    * 

Gray wrapped a bandage around his hand absently as he considered the knife resting on the desk before him.  In the brighter light, its pristine length still showed no indication of what had burned him.  The blisters on his hand ached, and he couldn't flex it without sending sharp stabs of pain through his arm.

He pulled a glove over his left hand, and gingerly picked it up by the hilt, studying it in the light.  Why had it hurt him?

And where had Hein gotten it?  Gray doubted the general's men had found it, not without the corpse of the animal, as well.  But if the animal had been found, why hadn't Hein told Gray?  Did Hein know something?  Paranoia about his superior was not something Gray wanted.  Some of the stories about the general were strange enough – really, why the hell would anyone think Hein kept a human skull in his desk drawer? – but General Hein wasn't evil.  But he was hiding something…  Gray had sensed that much.  He doubted Hein was in league with the scientists, hiding the corpse from the Council, though it was possible the beast was some sort of military experiment.   It had, after all, hurt a Phantom…

No, that wasn't an option Gray would consider yet.  That way lay madness.  _Though it is more reasonable than some of the ideas I've heard today…_

_They're silver alloy, you know.  _Hein's words suddenly came back to him, and he frowned.  Why would the general think he cared about that?  _Silver…    Something tugged at the back of Gray's memory.  __Silver… That's it.  It kills werewolves!  Gray dropped the knife as though it had burned him again.  __Impossible!  Most of our equipment is made of this alloy, and I haven't been hurt by it!_

_Except for…  _Gray probed the still-bruised flesh around his eyes.  Dimly, the memory came to him of a metal bar, a searing pain…  Then nothing…

Gray's hands shook.  Neil had recognized the wound on his forehead.  That was the reason for his horrified expression.  As for the werewolf thing…  Why would Neil suspect something so absurd?  Could it possibly be true?

_All myths are based on fact, _Aki had once said to him when they'd still dated.  _Over time, they get blown out of proportion, become fantastic rather than factual, but if you dig deep enough, you'll find the truth to every myth._

Gray rested his face in his hands.  There was nothing he could do at the moment.  He needed to speak to Neil alone, but after his episode, the doctors weren't letting anyone in to see him.  _I know Neil's attack was my fault… I don't know how, but I hurt him.  If Neil was right, all would be revealed in another three weeks, under the full moon.  There was little he could do until then but get on with his life, perform his duties ad if nothing was wrong.  It was going to be the hardest three weeks of his life._

*    *    *

Neil was finally released after a week in the hospital.  Gray hung back as Ryan and Jane greeted him with declarations that he looked like shit.  And he did, Gray thought as he studied Neil's sallow skin and sunken eyes.  He'd lost weight, too.  And the doctor had said Neil had been plagued with nightmares ever since he'd been brought in.  _Nightmares about me?___

Hesitantly, Gray went up to Neil after the others had finished their effusive greetings.  The tech greeted him with a broad smile, which Gray tentatively returned.  Did the corporal even remember?

_Yes, _Gray realized when he saw the shadows flickering in the depths of Neil's eyes.  But Neil saluted him as if nothing was wrong, and launched a rant about the evils of hospital food, which had Ryan laughing and Jane rolling her eyes.

As they left, moving slowly to match the shaky stride caused by Neil's damaged ankle, the corporal turned to Gray.  "Sir?" he said slowly.  "Could you walk with me to my quarters?  I… I need to discuss something with you."

Jane and Ryan took the hint.  They left quickly after promising to take Neil out for his first good meal in a week, and Gray was left alone with the tech.

Once they were alone, the shadows in Neil's eyes crept across his face as he finally showed his fear.  "How's the investigation going?" he asked, almost tonelessly.

_That's not what he really wants to know, _Gray sensed.  So he hadn't let go of the werewolf thing.  "We haven't found anything yet.  Except a Chihuahua who bit General Hein.  Vicious little bastard, too; you sure that's not what attacked you?"

Neil seemed unsurprised by their lack of findings, and he managed to smile weakly at Gray's joke.

"But you didn't expect anything to be found, did you?" Gray continued.  He carefully considered his next words.  If he continued, he'd commit himself to actually _believing _the myth.  "Not until the next full moon."  
  


Neil halted, eyes wide.  "Sir…  I just said that because of a dream I had… You don't think I believe…" he sputtered.

"That it was a werewolf that attacked me that night?"  Gray unconsciously rubbed the healed bite wound on his arm.  "That I became one myself the next night?  It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard…  and I'm starting to wonder if you're right."

Neil blinked.  "Sir?"  He sounded wary, as though waiting to be told this was all a big joke.

Gray waited until they were alone in Neil's room before going on.  "I don't remember what happened the night you were attacked," Gray confessed quietly.  "But when I woke up, there was blood on my hands."

Neil stayed silent, but his eyes were wide and fearful.  "I don't know exactly where the wound on my head came from, but I have very dim memories.  Memories you appear in," Gray said, his voice nearly inaudible.  "I don't know how, but I… I think I'm the one who attacked you."

"Oh, no…" Neil's words were a moan.  But he didn't shy away from Gray, as the captain had half-feared.  "They're delusions, sir, they have to be.   You can't be one that walks between the darkness and the light…"

Gray's brow furrowed at Neil's strange phrases, reminiscent of his fevered rambles.  But then Neil's face suddenly cleared.  "There's only one way to tell," he said.  "The next full moon is in a few weeks.  We'll know then.  I'll help you prove this is all one big delusion of ours, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or something."  He sounded desperate to believe his own words.

Gray wanted to believe that himself.  A life locked away in the hospital due to insanity sounded better than a wild theory.  "And if by some chance it's true?" Gray asked.

"Then," Neil said softly, "I'll have to kill you."

To Be Continued…


	4. What the Moon Reveals

Disclaimer:  I own none of the characters involved in this fic.  Only the situations are my own – and even they have been 'borrowed' from other sources and twisted to fit my needs.

Author's Note:  The next two chapters are going to be quite short, I'm afraid.  This fic isn't going how it should; only the first chapter approaches having the tone I was trying for.  Somewhere along the line, this story changed irreparably.  I'm going to finish it, then do a rewrite for my website when I finally get it going. It will be much darker, much better, I hope, once I figure out what I really want to do with it. Enjoy what I've done for now, though; it's just the bare bones of the real fic.  I'm only finishing it so I can work on some of the other stories in the series, which hopefully won't have this one's failings.  That, and I happen to like the next chapter.  And I know this chapter goes fast; I don't have much for them to do during the wait for the next full moon.  Why do the damn things only come once a month?!

**SHADOW MOON**

**A 'Falls the Shadow' fic**

Part Four

What the Moon Reveals

The moon had waned almost to nothing, though few within the barrier knew or even cared that the moon still existed, and went through its phases as if there was nothing wrong with the world it circled.

Others were achingly aware of it, for their lives were forever entwined with its phases.  They were fewer now than there had once been, but they still existed.  _Werewolves…_

_He doesn't know, but he suspects.  _General Hein watched the information flash across the screen in front of him, fragments of hospital records and obituaries that appeared only briefly before being discarded.  His lips curled in amusement as the flow increased, as though the intruder was becoming frustrated.  _You won't find what you seek there, Captain._

More entries, all dated within the last two weeks, were displayed and discarded.  For someone who wasn't a tech, the captain was showing an amazing talent for breaking into military files.  But he'd been clumsy enough to be detected.  Only Hein's intervention had kept the captain from being traced.  It wouldn't do for his problematical officer to be taken into custody.  It would be… _inconvenient.  _

But what was Hein to do with him?  The man's new nature had been an accident.  This was going to be difficult to hide.  And much as he disliked Captain Edwards, he wasn't going to carelessly discard a good officer because he became a beast every month.  If that were the case, he'd have to get rid of every female officer, too, he thought with some amusement.

The screen went blank in front of him, and Hein severed the connection, then wiped the records of the captain's progress.  Hein settled back in his chair, chin in hand, considering.  He'd have to speak to the captain about this, tell him the truth before the next full moon.  His lips curled in a snarl as yet another unpleasant task fell upon him.  _Damn you…_  

He'd call the captain to his office in the morning.  He thought briefly of seeing him now, when the captain would be paranoid after his breech of the rules, and making the man squirm, but Hein decided against it.  He needed the captain to be clear-headed when he spoke to him, or who knew what he'd do?  And he needed to do it soon, before the waxing of the moon began to bring out the beast in Gray, clouding his thoughts and stirring his blood lust.  As a young werewolf, his control would be minimal, and…

"Sir?" Major Elliot's voice broke his thoughts.  Hein scowled, then turned to his subordinate.  

"What is it?" Hein's voice was a low growl, but the major was used to the general's moods and didn't flinch.

"The Council has a message for you.  It's about the summit, sir."

Hein closed his eyes and kneaded his forehead.  _Shit…  He'd forgotten completely about the massive gathering of the military heads of each city in Houston.  "What about it?"_

"It's been moved up.  They need you to leave by tomorrow afternoon.  I was able to get you a flight for tonight, sir.  It leaves in an hour.  It's the only one that will arrive before morning."

_How considerate…  _But that left him only time to pack.  And the summit wasn't just a short little get together.

It would take weeks.

Weeks because the idiots could never agree on the best courses of action, weeks because they were reluctant to give more money to the Zeus Cannon construction funds and argued endlessly about why it was important, weeks that would be best spent elsewhere.  

He doubted he'd be back before the full moon.  "Where's Captain Edwards?" he asked shortly.

The major thought for a moment, then said, "He hasn't been assigned anywhere, so at this hour, he's probably settled down for the night.  Would you like me to send for him, sir?"

Hein scowled, the expression deepening the shadows on his sharp face.  He doubted Gray had been in his room when he'd hacked the files, and there was no knowing where the man would be at the moment.  By the time he tracked down the captain, Hein would be late for his flight.  

Two weeks.  He had two weeks to take his leave from the summit and get back before the captain transformed again and all hell broke loose.

*    *    *

They'd agreed not to discuss it with Jane and Ryan.  Gray met the tech for breakfast that morning, before the other squad members made it to the mess hall.  "I didn't find anything," Gray said without preamble.

Neil knew instantly what he meant.  "Are you sure you didn't miss it?  There are always a lot of deaths."

Gray nodded, clenching a fist in frustration.  "I checked records for both the military and civilian hospitals.  Either Hein is covering it up, or whatever attacked me isn't dead."

General Hein's involvement wasn't something they'd wanted to consider, but it was starting to seem like the best possibility.  Someone had found the knife last seen buried hilt-deep in a monster's neck.  Someone had hidden the body of a strange creature – or the person that had been the creature.  Someone had even covered up the attack on Neil, for Gray hadn't heard it discussed in days, much less investigated.  Could Hein be involved?

There was a nagging suspicion tugging at Gray's mind, one he refused to even consider.  Perhaps Hein was indeed involved, but not how anyone thought.  He'd known the knife would hurt Gray, he'd seen that in the general's eyes.  And then there was the scar…

But Hein had been in the city when Gray had been attacked!  He'd come to the office that night to hear the captain's report!

After a delay, during which Hein could have made his way back to the city…  And the legends Gray and Neil had patiently dug up over the past week suggested mortal wounds could force a werewolf back to its true form.

They also said that by killing the werewolf that had bitten you, the curse could be cured.  That wasn't an option Gray dared to consider.

As if reading his thoughts, Neil said, "Maybe the werewolf is alive, which could be good for you.  All you'd have to do is find him and kill him."

Neil said it so callously, as he had when he'd made his declaration to kill Gray if needed.  What, Gray wondered, had happened to his tech?  Had the attack changed him, in more subtle ways?  When Gray had tried to ask, the tech had mumbled something and refused to say more on the subject.  He was beginning to fear his corporal was losing his mind.

*    *    *

Another week.  The moon waxed half full, though Gray couldn't see it from under the all-encompassing barrier.  He only knew that with each passing day, his sensed heightened, and his teammates were becoming nervous around him, a deep, instinctive terror perhaps warning them that here was a predator that could take down a human.

And he still had no clue who had bitten him.  With Hein gone, Gray couldn't confront him about it.  And his tenuous investigations into Hein's past came to nothing; the man had an odd reputation, but no one Gray asked could give him anything definite about whether Hein was involved with werewolves, or was one himself.  He wished he'd dared to ask his questions directly, but he knew no one would take him seriously.  And he didn't want to end up in a mental institution.  

Gray had even entertained the notion of asking Major Elliot.  As the man who was closest to Hein, he must have had some notion of his commander's activities, but Gray doubted he'd violate Hein's trust by telling possibly condemning secrets to a captain.  Besides, the major was either in on it, or knew nothing at all.

But what was he going to do?  He was having trouble hiding it.  His new aversion to silver had manifested again when he and his squad had gone out in armor several days previously.  While no metal touched his skin through the thin layer of cloth lying between him and the metal, when he'd peeled the armor off hours later, his skin had been an angry red, and he'd been blistered in places.  He hadn't been able to hide it from his squad – or explain it to the puzzled medic who'd examined him at Ryan's insistence.

As Gray automatically answered the medic's questions, he considered the problem looming before him.  He knew, now, that it wasn't just some delusion.  He could feel the beast coiled deep within his mind, waiting for the right moment to break free.  What was he going to do?  Locking himself in his room seemed the best option.  The officers quarters were soundproofed for privacy, and Neil had assured him that he could devise a lock that no one seeking to enter would be able to bypass, and that couldn't be opened from within, just in case Gray's bestial counterpart proved to be clever with its paws.  Neil was going to lock him in, and he'd stay in his room until the tech let him free in the morning.

The puzzled medic released him, and Gray went to grab a quick meal.  Hein had assigned his squad light duties, and Major Elliot was faithfully following the general's orders.  Gray found himself left with less and less duties as the full moon drew nearer, something else that made him suspicious. 

_What does Hein know?  Is he_ _the one who bit me?  _If the USMF was run by a monster, were they safe?  While Hein wasn't popular with troops or Council, Gray could find no fault with his performance as a general.  _On the other hand, he is one of the most aggressive__ commanders out there, Gray thought with wry amusement.  __He definitely has that killer instinct._

_I'll have to confront him about this when he comes back, _Gray realized dully.  _What do I do?  What if the old tales are right, and the only way to rid myself of this curse is to kill him?  Could I do it?  If I don't, what if I kill Neil, or Jane, or Ryan?  What if I kill Aki?  Even if he hadn't seen the woman since she'd disappeared, he couldn't stand the thought that she'd see him as a beast… that he'd destroy the woman he still loved.  The thought was sobering.  It disturbed him so deeply that he could barely finish his lunch:  An extra-rare burger, still dripping blood._

*    *    *

Five days… three days… two…  Time went almost too fast for Gray.  Neil, who'd been acting skittish around Gray since he'd first woken after the attack, barely came near his captain.  Gray didn't want to see him, either…  He kept seeing with renewed clarity his assault on the tech whenever he spoke to Neil.

_This isn't going to work!_ Gray frantically thought at one point.  _I'll break free and hurt someone!   Or maybe I'll transform early…  But the beast stayed within him, patiently awaiting the right time to break free.  An hour before the moon was schedule to peak above the horizon, Gray began to feel that everything would be fine after all.  The walls were strong, and wouldn't yield to claws.  And he and Neil had checked the door; it wouldn't break, nor even warp under a constant beating.  They built things strong these days._

If he could just last until his confrontation with Hein, Gray was certain that everything would work out.  He had to believe it, or it would tear him apart…

Forty-five minutes before moonrise, fifteen before he was supposed to meet up with Neil, Gray received the summons.  An edgy runner tracked down Gray, cornering him and ordering him to head immediately to the general's office.

_Is Hein back?_ Gray thought.  He didn't want to see the general right now, not with the massive headache that was pounding his skull.  His sight was swimming around him, and his perceptions had heightened unbearably.  All he wanted was to curl up in his room.  Surely Hein felt the same way?

To his surprise, though, it was Major Elliot who met him.  The major looked harried as he set a datapad before Gray.  "These documents need your signature," the major said thickly.  "They're some of your mission reports." 

_Couldn't it wait?_ Gray wondered as he clumsily brought up the files on display.   Damn, his fingers were already too numb!  How much longer did he have?  Hurriedly, he picked up the light pen and scrawled his name on the holographic surface, and watched the scribble be transformed into his signature on the document.  At least this wouldn't take long…

He was only vaguely aware of Major Elliot moving around the office as he tried to focus on the documents.  There were more than he'd thought, and all required his signature.  The throbbing in his skull increased, and Gray fancied for a moment that the creature would tear its way loose from his head rather than transform his body this time.

He glanced at the time, and his eyes widened in alarm.  He had ten minutes to get to his room…  "Sir, I have to get going," he said desperately, a plea he would never use with a superior officer if the need hadn't been so urgent.

Major Elliot was leafing through the files on another datapad.  "I can't let you go just yet; I need to get these done for when the general arrives."  He sounded absorbed in his work; he'd be totally helpless against the looming danger.  _Why the hell did the major wait this long for me to sign them if they're so important? Gray thought dimly._

"You don't understand…"  The words were thick and slurred, with the hint of an underlying growl.  He stumbled to his feet and staggered towards the door, unaware of the major's keen gaze on his back.   "For your own good…"

Gray fumbled at the office door with fingers that couldn't stop shaking.  His hands felt nerveless, and he had little control over them.  _Open, dammit, open!  He wanted to scream in frustration.  He had to get out of the office before he hurt the major!  But the door… the door was locked!  He had to get away, to lock himself from the world, before he tried to kill any of his acquaintances.  "Major…" he said helplessly, the words distorted by a tongue that seemed too heavy.  "Out…"_

There was no warning, no sound of movement at all.  Pain suddenly lanced through his shoulders, as if knives had ripped into his quivering flesh.  Gray made an agonized sound that was almost a yelp before turning on his unexpected attacker.

Major Elliot stood behind him, licking blood from nails too long for his fingers.  "You're not going anywhere, Captain," he said, his voice a low growl.  Lips curved into a smile, baring a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.  "I made a mistake not finishing you off, and it's time I corrected it."

The major loosened the tight collar of his uniform jacket, showing the clean line of what was obviously a knife wound, only half-healed, deep in his throat.  And then Gray only had time to glimpse the dark fur spreading across the major's changing features before his own transformation overcame him and left him helpless to defend himself.

To Be Concluded…

Lousy, isn't it?  I don't like it.  But it's the best I could do with what I had.  I can't wait until this fall, when I'm going to try putting up a website and put up a much better version of this!  And there is a good explanation for why both Hein and Elliot have scarred necks, I promise.


	5. Confronting the Horror

Disclaimer:  I still don't own them.  But I would accept them as a gift!

Author's Note:  This chapter was easiest to write, since I've had it finished for awhile, and needed to make only a few changes to it.  And it's shorter than I like. For those wondering, "Shadow Moon" is merely a prequel to the "Falls the Shadow" series, which is going to be quite dark and creepy.  Maybe this one's not quite so dark because it's earlier in the timeline!  Or so I tell myself.  The next two will be post-movie, one-chapter fics called "Shadow Lord" and "Shadow Hunter."  When "Lord" goes up, you'll see just what I wanted to do with this fic.  And since I really don't want to start another big epic multi-chapter fic right now, the "Falls the Shadow" series may be told in the form of several stories, with maybe one or two as long as "Moon."  Dunno.  Tell me what you think.

**SHADOW MOON**

**A 'Falls the Shadow' fic**

Part Five

Confronting the Horror

Only the fact that Elliot was busy with his own transformation saved Gray's life.  But even that didn't last; the older werewolf completed his change faster.  Gray's body was still settling when a dark grey blur leapt from the shadows, eyes glowing and teeth bared.  The creature that had been Gray forced his still-awkward body into a roll, howling in pain as his body protested.  Only his animal instincts saved him from a savage blow that would have torn out his throat.  

He didn't move quick enough to keep the other from grabbing his tail.  There was a sound of snapping bone and tearing flesh, and the beast that had been Gray howled his agony.  The pain made the beast inside retreat, and suddenly, Gray found himself in partial control of his mind.

He was too much in shock to do anything about it at first.  The sight of the creature that had been Major Elliot grinning toothily at him, holding a limp grey-and-scarlet mess that had been his tail, froze him in place.

Then, the bestial instincts screamed at him to run, run, run!  For here was a predator that could make him the prey!  Gray recovered his balance, forced himself to ignore the pain, and ran.  There were only two ways out, the human part of him knew.  The door, which was locked, and the window behind Major Elliot.

Gray dodged under Elliot's reaching claws and surged towards the window, gathering himself for a leap and hurling himself towards it.

For one terrifying moment, Gray feared the glass wouldn't break.  But it wasn't made to withstand the force of two hundred pounds of muscle leaping into it; the window shattered, and Gray fell in a rain of glass shards and broken blinds to the ground three stories below, landing with a neat roll that didn't hurt him near as much as the pain from the bloody stump where his tail had been.

He ran.  He ran with death swift on his heels, weaving and dodging through the late-night traffic, avoiding pedestrians.  His bestial half had no interest in hunting; not with the hunter behind him, somewhere.  Gray only saw the people as obstacles; swerving around them slowed his flight, and their scents masked the other's.  His pursuer could be anywhere; he had to get out of the populated area.

He focused on the barrier ahead of him.  He needed to be free!  He needed to get somewhere where he could make a stand, because he sensed this night would only end with death.

*    *    *

General Hein knew he was too late even before he reached his office.  If only the summit had ended sooner.  If only he'd been able to catch an earlier flight.  _Dammit__, Major, why are you doing this now?  He should have known.  The level-headed major could usually be trusted to be left in charge in Hein's absences, but as the moon waxed full, his wild side became more evident.  It would be just like him to take care of the problem Captain Edwards posed in his own way._

When he'd heard about the captain's unexpected summons to the office, he knew.   He only hoped he'd arrive in time to stop Elliot before he did something they'd all regret.

The door was locked.  Hein quickly slipped his pass card through the slot, and the door slid open.  Hein stepped inside, then stopped.  _Shit.  The scent of blood hit his nostrils, and he licked his lips unconsciously as he surveyed the damage.  His window was broken, and the blinds had broken and the pieces scattered._

Hein's lips curled in a snarl.  This was going to be harder than he'd thought.  They'd gone into the city itself…  Now how was he going to find them?  Then Hein smiled slightly as he stood in the frame of the broken window, a sound drifting to his ears.  _Of course.__  I'll just follow the sound of the screams.  With that, he sprang out of the window, coat flaring behind him._

*    *    *

He'd felt the barrier's energies only a slight tingle, instead of the massive jolt most living beings who came into contact with it received.  He'd been able to safely leap through one of the gaps between the energy conduits, and was now outside of New York, running along the stretch of Manhattan Island that had been abandoned.

Not once did he consider the Phantoms.  They were nothing compared to the one that stalked him, one he hadn't seen but knew was there.  He'd glimpsed only the dark flame of the other's spirit before it flickered and vanished.  He was being toyed with, a deadly game of cat and mouse.  He had to find somewhere open, where he couldn't be ambushed.  But where in the shattered city ruins was there a clearing?

Gray hesitated, trying to recall what he knew about this part of the city.  It was hard; his thoughts were muddled, primitive, and it never even occurred to him to wonder why he could even think at all when during his previous transformation he'd been driven only by a killing instinct.

He lifted his muzzle, straining to catch his foe's scent.  Had he lost the other?  Gray doubted it.  But all he scented was death.  Dust and bone, rusting metal and decaying cloth.  Death.  Nowhere was there the scent of the hunter.

Gray took a tentative step down one street strewn with long-abandoned vehicles.  Bone crunched under his heavy paw, and Gray froze, ears flicking to catch any sound.  Cautiously, he proceeded down the dismal grey streets, ignoring the urge to run.  He couldn't run anymore, or he'd burn himself out.  He'd wasted too much energy anyway; he didn't know if he'd have the strength to face the other.  And he could feel the blood drip down his hind legs from the stump that had been his tail.  The flow hadn't stopped; he was going to be feeling weak from blood loss soon.

He heard another crack of bone, and Gray swiveled his head towards the sound, ready to lunge toward the source.  But the attack that followed came from the opposite side.

Claws raked his face when Gray didn't duck fast enough, and his breath came out in a yip of pain.  He lashed out at Elliot, only to find that his opponent was no longer there.  The older werewolf had stepped sideways, jaws agape in laughter.  He moved under Gray's arm, striking at the exposed chest before whirling out of the way.

Gray bellowed in rage as he pulled out of Elliot's reach.  He hadn't expected the other to move so fast!  He had barely gathered himself for a spring when the major darted forward again, hammering blows with his teeth along Gray's spine.  The thick fur did little to shield him from the attack.

He dropped and rolled, lashing out with his hind feet and scoring a blow on his opponent's abdomen.  Elliot snarled before thrusting his head forward with blinding speed, catching one of Gray's hind paws.  Scissoring his jaws, he sheared off one of Gray's toes.  Gray shot to his feet, dropping to all fours to put less weight on his injured foot.  Elliot was already on top of him, his weight pushing Gray to the ground, his jaws sinking through Gray's thick, coarse fur at the nape of his neck, seeking to sever the spinal cord.

This was it…  Gray's bestial nature was acknowledging defeat.  He wanted to fight back, but he was losing his will.  Elliot had him securely pinned to the ground, and Gray could feel it when the teeth finally penetrated his flesh.

Then Elliot was suddenly knocked sideways.  The werewolf hadn't braced himself for the blow and fell to the ground, quickly rolling to regain his feet.  The major snarled and whirled to face his new attacker.

"I don't think so, Matthew," a familiar voice said reprovingly.  Gray staggered to his feet and stared in disbelief at his rescuer.  "You don't want to hurt me."  General Hein stepped between the two werewolves, his eyes on Elliot.  Gray was too hurt to even consider attacking the man… and there was something about his scent that his nature shied away from…

Elliot bared blood-stained fangs and lunged forward, catching Hein's left arm in a tight grip.  Leather tore, and Gray could see the teeth tear flesh…

Hein didn't even wince.  With his other hand, he grabbed Elliot's upper jaw and yanked his head away.  Elliot gave a shrill cry.

Gray lay where he'd fallen, feeling the wounds slowly heal themselves.  But he was too busy watching what was happening to notice.

"You _won't hurt me," Hein said icily, glaring at Elliot.  "And you won't touch __him, either."_

To Gray's surprise, Elliot lowered himself to his belly, tail between his legs and ears flat to his skull.  But despite his submissive posture, Gray could see the rage burning in his eyes.

"I'll see you in my office tomorrow," the general snapped, and Elliot snarled.  "Now, get out of here.  I don't want to see you again tonight, and _I don't want you to touch him!"_

The other flicked his tail angrily and straightened.  He spared one glance towards Gray, but made no move towards him.  With one final glare at Hein, he whirled around and vanished from the shadows.

"And you," Hein said, his voice suddenly mild.  "What am I going to do with you?"

Gray got clumsily to his feet.  Hein stepped forward, and Gray found himself shying away.  He didn't understand it, but there was something about the man that… frightened him.

There was a soft hooting sound, and both Gray and Hein jerked their heads towards the direction of the noise.  _Phantoms!  "Perhaps we should continue this in my office tomorrow morning?" Hein suggested.  "Meanwhile, I suggest you work off your aggressiveness out here, since you can't be trusted to control yourself yet.  And don't worry," Hein continued, his gaze on the Phantoms that were visible to Gray's altered vision, "they can't hurt you.  There's something about your spirit that hurts them.  You're quite safe."_

Hein turned away, walking fearlessly towards the barrier glowing a mile or so away from him.  Gray wondered why the man was so bold, being out here unprotected when the Phantoms were coming, but then he saw something that left him staring slack-jawed after his commanding officer.

Hein had no spirit.

*    *    *

Gray just wanted to go to bed, but Hein's order was still fresh in his memory, and he went first to the man's office.  He'd had an odd night…  He'd remembered it, this time.  The stars, the freedom, the joy…  He'd never experienced anything like it.  _I'd better not get too used to this.  There must be a cure, and I'll find it._

Hein was waiting for him in the office.  The man looked none the worse for his experience in the city.  Major Elliot stood off to the side, and Gray was careful to put distance between them.  He'd never have thought the man would be such an aggressive fighter.  Elliot only gave him a sullen glare, then stared straight ahead.  Hein beckoned Gray towards the seat in front of his desk.

"I apologize for my subordinate's behavior last night," Hein said calmly.  "He was ordered not to touch you, but he's difficult to reason with under a full moon."

"You knew he was a werewolf," Gray stated.  He couldn't bring himself to use formalities.

"Yes.  And I knew you'd been bitten, so I've been watching you.  I've even covered for you.  I was the one who dragged you back to your room after your attack on the corporal in the hangar.  Luckily, the drug I gave you was strong enough to keep you unconscious the rest of the night."

Gray couldn't bring himself to be grateful.  "Why didn't you tell me?"

"If I'd told you that you were a werewolf, would you believe me?" Hein challenged.  "I didn't think so.  I did drop hints for you, however, in the hopes that you'd figure it out."

The knife.  He'd known that Gray would react to it.  "So now I know," Gray said coldly.  "Is there a cure?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elliot shake his head, and Hein sighed.  "Not that anyone's ever found.  All the movies are a lie.  Oh, I'm sure a silver bullet would cure you, but not in the way you probably want.  And, before you say anything, killing the one that made you won't do it.  The major's already tried that."

Gray met the major's eyes with surprise.  Even after last night, it was difficult to see the man as a monster.  Elliot's eyes narrowed, and for a brief instant Gray caught a glimpse of the darkness beneath the surface.  He shivered and turned back to Hein.

"I can hide you.  I've kept Elliot's curse secret for years; almost since his attacker left him alive one Christmas Eve with bite marks on his intestines."  Gray winced.  Hein continued, "I can keep you safe, and others safe from you.  And you will find it easier to control after awhile, once you integrate a werewolf's killing instinct into your own personality.  You'll change, but keep your own mind."  Hein's eyes narrowed, and he glared at Elliot.  "With occasional slip-ups.  Had you come to me before being sent on Dr. Sid's errand, I'd have prevented you from going after Elliot and none of this would have happened."

It was those slip-ups that frightened Gray.  What if he attacked another of his men?  What if he _killed _one of them?  Or worse?

"You can go, Major," Hein said, and Elliot left silently.  Odd, Gray thought, how he'd never noticed the man had such a predatory walk.

"You'll hide my secret."  Gray gave Hein a hard stare.  "For what price?  What do you expect from me?"

Hein smiled.  "A few choice missions, of course.  I won't often have need of your talents, but you'll be quite useful.  Haven't you noticed, even when the moon isn't full, that your senses, your reflexes, are better than they were?  I'll make it worth your while."

"You don't give me much choice, do you?" Gray hissed.  

"No," Hein said.  Again he smiled, an expression that didn't reach his eyes.  "Does anyone know about this?  Besides Corporal Fleming, I mean?"  Gray shook his head.  "Good; that can be taken care of."

Gray's eyes widened.  "What are you going to do – "

"Don't worry.  I have no intention of hurting your tech.  Now, that should be everything," Hein said, with an air of dismissal.

No.  Gray wasn't going until he got answers.  And there were things about last night he'd thought had been hallucinations brought on by pain, things Hein was avoiding.  "No, it isn't."  Hein gave him an irritated look.  "You were bitten last night."

Hein's eyes narrowed.  "Why do you say that?"

"I saw it."

Hein's lips thinned.  "You needn't worry; it won't affect me."

Gray's suspicions about the general came back to him in a rush.  "It _was_ you, wasn't it?  You were the werewolf that bit me."  But even as he said it, he caught the flaw in his logic.  He would have been transformed last night…  But there had been something about him that had been unearthly… inhuman…  Perhaps one could change when one willed it after a time?  How else would the general have been able to track them so fast?

Hein snorted.  "I can assure you, I'm no werewolf."

"You've got a scar on your neck… but so does Elliot…"  Damn, either one of them could have been the one nailed by Neil's knife!

Self-consciously, Hein rubbed his neck, where Gray had seen the line of scarred flesh.  "This is the mark of something else entirely," Hein said harshly.  His eyes glittered dangerously, but Gray wasn't going to back down until he had answers.  "It's not your business."

"You had no spirit."  Gray's remark met dead silence.

Hein cupped his chin and said nothing for a moment.  "You have a spirit, even when you're transformed," he said finally.  "So obviously, I can't be one of you."

"Then…what?" Frustration made Gray raise his voice.  "What else would have such a different spirit."

Hein was quiet.  Then he murmured, his voice nearly inaudible, "A vampire."

Gray gave a sharp bark of laughter.  So the general wasn't going to take him seriously?  Angrily, Gray got to his feet.  "Don't mock me."

Hein actually laughed.  "You'll believe that you can change into a wolf, but not in the undead?  Oh, Captain…  You have no idea what kind of world you've just entered."  He smiled, baring his teeth at Gray.

Gray took a step backward.  "No…"  This… this was just too much!  He couldn't take it; he whirled around and ran from the office, the image of Hein's long canines still very much in his mind.  Werewolves… Vampires…

_You have no idea what kind of world you've just entered…  _Gray didn't want to know.  And he prayed that he'd never find out.  But he knew it was too late.  He'd been drawn into a world cloaked in shadows, and he knew he'd never escape.

The End


End file.
